I went to Morzine and it had just snowed, so it was really powdery and fresh. It snowed most of the time, but I had one day of sunshine, which was great. I stayed with my uncle who has a house out there, so he knows the area well. We did a bit of off piste, but my uncle got me started in triathlon, and he loves the sport, so he was nervous I’d hurt myself. He spent the whole time telling me to slow down!

How much skiing have you done?

I went every year for about five or six years when I was a kid, both with the school and my family. Then I’ve picked up little bits along the way, whenever I’ve had the chance. When I was racing in New Zealand I skied on a volcano on the North Island, and I’ve skied in Chile as well.

So you’re not a sportsman who avoids skiing because it’s too dangerous? I guess no, although I hadn’t skied for five years. I thought if I was ever going to do it again, now was the time. I ride my bike every day on the roads, and skiing’s probably no more dangerous than doing that.

Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins also went skiing last winter. Do you think the bike work helps for skiing?

Skiing puts stresses on muscles you don’t normally use, I had some tired legs at the end of the day! My skiing ability relies not on skill, but on holding myself up using my quads, which I’ve obviously built up with the bike. What I lack in technique I make up for in strength.

The après in Morzine is fairly lively, did you partake in any night-time activities?

No. I went skiing just after BBC Sports Personality Of The Year, so was partied out after that. One night in Morzine I went into town to watch Leeds vs Chelsea on TV – that was lively.

What are your competition plans now?

I’m looking forward to the 2016 Olympics in Rio, but I just take every year as it comes. So I’ll be at the World Championship Series 2013, which has the finale in London in September, then the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2014. I’ve never raced that before, so that will be good. I’ll then maybe run some 10k races. Right now, though, I’m probably the least fit I’ve been in a long time, so I need to get back to training.

Does your brother Jonny ski?

He does, but he didn’t come this time, he wanted to stay at home to train. He skied in New Zealand after he won the World Championships last summer. We’re a nightmare when we go skiing together, the last time was at an indoor snow slope and we nearly got thrown off for racing.

You competed in TV’s Superstars with Jonny, but is it fair to say your performance was up and down?

Yes, I won the kayaking and the 800m, but the low point was the 100m where I was beaten by Peter Wilson, a shooter, who stands still in his sport. My dips were pretty bad too – luckily, the camera position did me a favour because they focused on boxer Anthony Joshua who was banging them out while I struggled.